Double DARE Me
by Kenshin1340
Summary: Ruby's lived a hard life; one of strife, struggle and sweet, sweet addiction. In between fixes, Ruby stumbles across a situation that will permanently change her way of life. eventual WR, other pairings are fluid. mature-ish themes, Ruby OOC, !addiction trigger
1. I: A Sweater Weather Fiend

Chapter I: A Sweater Weather Fiend

 **A/N: quality check complete ch1-5**

* * *

 _Cause it's too cold_

 _For you here and now_

 _So let me hold_

 _Both your hands in the holes of my sweater_

 _And if I may just take your breath away_

 _I don't mind if there's not much to say_

 _Sometimes the silence guides your mind_

 _To move to a place so far away._

* * *

Ruby stood on the corner of the busiest intersection in Westside: 24th and Schnee. The light was red and the sun beamed down on Ruby's hoodie but she still felt cold. Cold deep within her chest, she realized; Ruby couldn't shake the sentiment and shivered as the sun was sheltered behind a soft cloud floating by. The crossing signal beeped in the corner of Ruby's consciousness and the heat rose from the pavement; voices clamored as people, mostly students, traversed the main street outside of campus. The bustle was normally a source of pleasantry… but today, Ruby had a staggering headache. Summer was usually her favorite season, but this year, it was shaping up to be the worst time of the young student's life.

Looking up from her feet as the sun peeked out again, Ruby saw a striking young woman with snow-white hair walking with a taller blond man across the street. The woman turned to look at her and Ruby noticed a thin scar running up and down her left eye; it gave her an air of excitement, danger… and she was attractive, Ruby thought. The woman paused to stare at Ruby as the cars flew by; a bus with reflective tint rolled by, and Ruby briefly saw the mess of a person she had devolved into over the week and her eyes widened in shock. The bus rolled to a stop to her right; the woman and her counterpart had disappeared and Ruby groaned before making her way on the bus, swiping her student ID and plopping down in the back. Ruby took one last glance out the window to look for the pair she had seen to no avail and stuck her other earpiece in, cranking up the volume of her latest produced track on repeat. Ruby set her fingers in her jeans pockets; one hand wrapping around the knife in her right pocket and the other grasping a small pouch of dust in the left as she stared out the window. She had gone through a lot to make it to where she was, sitting on the 1233 line bus, each pocket lined with an item with the potential to save or kill. It was odd to think about; growing up, Ruby wanted nothing more than to be a well respected, highly decorated officer of the law, just like her mother.

 _The memories flooded up from her ankles and down her throat in a rush._

All of that changed the night her mother didn't come home, and the knocking on the door sounded instead of her mother's voice pleasantly calling out, "I'm back, Ruby!" That was the moment when she realized protecting stupid people who didn't deserve her mother's life given in service was stupid, foolish and not worth her time. What became worth her time consumed her; with her sister already slated to leave out of state for college, Ruby was left alone for two extremely... _formative_ years of high school. Years that Ruby spent swiftly discovering the world's pleasures and vices, enjoying herself at cheap concerts and festivals with fake IDs, learning to enjoy a crew's company, another's _company,_ preserving all but her 4.0 GPA and perfect attendance record. Her teachers took pity on the recently orphaned child and bought the excuses, lies, and half-baked tear sessions that passed the redhead through her senior year, finishing with a 2.3 and skipping her ACT and SAT appointments. Ruby shuddered in remembrance and her fingers brushed up against the plastic in her pocket again, bringing a smile to bury her memories alive; a smile came to her face as she realized that her four ( _or was it more?)_ days of agony were wrapping up today; finally, her suffering was over.

* * *

By the time Ruby was slated to get off of the bus, the sun had begun its descent in the sky and Ruby could feel her nose begin to twitch in anticipation. She'd gotten fired for a no-show from her last job, unfortunately, so she was working fast-food until she could pick up another barista job or, dust-willing, tutoring gig with some rich, bratty frat kid who couldn't handle university math and had cash to waste on a drugged out teenager barely making it through basic community college courses.

The smile that had begun to form on her face at the thought vanished as Ruby walked up to her first-floor apartment over in Southside Vale; her arms and hands shook as she pulled her lanyard off of her neck and inserted the key into her rattling door, pulling it open and pushing forward the screen. Ruby dumped her backpack on the floor and the lanyard onto the small entryway table she owned; it was one of her four pieces of furniture and one of the few things left over from her old place, along with her twin-size bed, a single bar stool and a torn leather couch. Ruby threw her shirt on said couch and slipped on her only luxury clothing item; a pair of fuzzy, twenty dollar house shoes.

Ruby didn't mind her humble existence. Besides, on her current budget, new furniture was out of the question if she wanted to both eat _and_ fund her habit. Selling her laptop was even further out of the realm of possibility; producing music was the last thing in the world keeping her grounded, the last thing keeping her dreams alive. At least one good habit had come out of her tumultuous upperclassman years of high school.

Out went her pockets onto the kitchen counter; the knife landing first with a clicking noise up against the laminate and the bag of light blue dust plopping with a thud next to it. Ruby reached for the knife, but once it was in her hand, she spun it in practiced motions in a routine manner of hesitation. It was in this particular moment that Ruby felt all of her demons come forth from the recesses of her mind; her mother, her ex-boyfriend, her ex-girlfriends, _plural,_ the ghost of a father she'd never met… all of it rushed forth and sat on ghost-like bar stools next to her, each wearing a disappointed look on their faces. Ruby's left hand twitched towards the bag and all of the eyes in the room moved and focused on her hand settling on the bag of dust.

 _What are you doing, Ruby?_

 _What have you become?_

 _So much potential, wasted. How could you do this?_

The voices came faster and faster until Ruby heard her mother's voice speak quietly, silencing all of the other voices. It felt more real, and that's because it was; it was the line Ruby remembered with the most clarity, the one that always rationalized her decisions.

"Whatever it takes to make my baby happy." She couldn't have been more than eleven, but she remembered it like it was yesterday. Closing her eyes, she could just barely remember what it felt like to have her mother run her fingers through her light red hair; it always bleached brighter in the summertime.

Ruby sighed and opened her eyes to an empty, silent kitchen and slowly pressed the knife into the bag, slicing outwards and spilling out a small amount onto the countertop. Ruby opened a drawer, pulling out a large styrofoam cup from a gas station, a straw and a cheap motel key card. She covered the bag with the cup and slid it over to the corner of the counter, flipping her knife shut with the other hand absentmindedly. The rain pattered up against the windows as Ruby sorted the small pile of powder into two neat lines with the card, wiping it off on her tongue. The crystals tingled in her mouth, gently numbing her cheeks and the tip of her tongue and cooling the back of her throat. Ruby's nose twitched again and she inhaled in a rush before sneezing over her shoulder. Turning back to see her lines undisturbed, Ruby sighed in contentment before taking a deep breath and lining her straw up with her nose and the countertop.

 _I'm sorry, Mom._

Ruby snorted the first line up her left nostril and felt it travel down through the back of her throat, giving her entire esophagus a tingly feeling and leaving the left side of her nose completely numb. Her mind felt almost immediately at ease; partially due to the wonders of Dust and mostly due to the power of placebo. Sighing again, Ruby lined up the straw with right nostril and whispered softly to herself.

 _I'm sorry I couldn't do better._

* * *

 _It's all the same_

 _You're pointing fingers but there's no one to blame_

 _So you're snorting all these lines_

 _Getting caved inside_

 _What you reap, you sow_

 _Now these drugs will never let you go_

 _Screaming, "Hey hey"_

 _Fuck that, take a hit and let's get blown_

 _Cause I don't feel the pain no more_

 _Cause I will never leave no more_

 _And you get a little insecure_

 _Ooh, let the drugs be the cure._

* * *

 **A/N: Image is not a product of my work. PM me for source or reverse image search, as links are not allowed here.**

 **Intro bit. I have toyed with this premise for three years now and was inspired by the cover image to write a little ditty and see where it went from there.**

 **Let me know what you think; r/f/f please.**

 **-ken**


	2. II: Down in Vivid Dreams

Chapter II: Down in Vivid Dreams

* * *

 _Didn't even really wanna go_

 _But if you get me out, you get a show_

 _There's so many bodies on the floor_

 _So baby we should go and add some more_

 _Are you down…_

 _You know we could put them all to shame_

 _Now isn't the time to play it safe_

 _Isn't this the reason why you came?_

 _So, baby, don't you let it go to waste_

 _Are you down?_

* * *

Weiss found herself in a club, moderately drunk and extremely annoyed. She wasn't drunk enough to consider herself shitfaced, but she wasn't sober enough to be able to be as articulate and coherent as she enjoyed. It was a crossroads of her night, she supposed. She had the option to a) drink more and forget her problems with the blond, tall drink of water she had come with or b) sober up, complain of a headache and leave alone to brood over her thoughts as she stumbled back to her peaceful studio apartment in the darkness of the night.

 _What a set of options…_

Weiss decided to mull it over a bit more and motioned at the bar, to which the blond nodded and pointed to the tables by the corner where they would meet later. Weiss gave a thumbs up and sat down at the bar, ordering a local, lemon-flavored ginger beer mix that she enjoyed greatly, flashing the ring she had on her right hand as payment. In her mild stupor, her thoughts were simple; not clear, but simple. She was rich. Life was good.

 _Correction, life_ should _be good for someone like me._

Weiss frowned at her mind's autocorrect and sipped at her drink, thinking. Thinking abstractly was hard. Thinking like this also never ended well, so the inebriated woman stood up from the bar, picked up her copper mug and chugged the rest of the drink, belching softly as she slammed the mug back on the bartop. The sight must've been horrendously unattractive as the guy sitting next to her who had been opening his mouth to speak stopped and stared open-mouthed as if Weiss had grown a second set of eyes or a set of cat ears. Weiss paid him no mind and brushed past him and a few others to find her date sitting with another couple in one of the circular booths under the dim lighting, cordoned off from the rest of the club. The mild yellow of his hair reflected in the light contrasted with the scarlet-stained leather seating and made her date shine like gold afloat blood; Weiss smiled and slid into the booth, putting her hand over her date's on the table.

The song shifted to a milder tempo with much heavier kicks; the club felt like it swayed to and fro as Weiss opened her eyes again to see the couple, both with long hair, one straight and one curly, one blonde with the other brunette, locked in a kiss. Weiss raised an eyebrow and slowly turned to look to her left. He flicked his eyes down at Weiss's lips before back up at her eyes, asking silently, and Weiss felt strange. She couldn't place the feeling, but something certainly felt off with a man's hand beneath hers as opposed to, well, whatever was going on across from them. Weiss froze as her date's honest smile seemed to be encouraging, but… not enough for her. She found herself looking back across the booth. She noticed that brunette was slightly darker than her counterpart and looked mixed, with a striking pair of narrow eyes to complement her thin profile.

 _What am I even… the fuck?_

The brunette opened her eyes from the kiss, her tongue pulling out of her counterpart's mouth, breaking apart from the blonde's in between them. She gasped and looked over towards Weiss with a smirk, giving Weiss a rush of pleasure down her spine mixed with a tinge of fear. Locks of dark hair framed a face filled mostly with a predatory grin, a possessive glint shining in her eyes. Her partner caught on and slid out of the booth, slipping back in on the other side where Weiss sat, still staring. Her sudden landing on the leather shocked Weiss and she snapped her head over towards the blonde, her eyes flitting between the two who had enraptured her. The blonde's skin was perfectly tanned and she radiated confidence. Her mouth opened to speak, and Weiss was lost.

"Name's Yang. That's Blake. What's a nice girl like you-" She paused to lean out past Weiss and look at the bewildered boy seated with them.

"-and a goody-two shoes kid doing in a place like this?" With her words, Yang motioned at the club around them as the song changed to a more uptempo, futuristic sound. The air around them physically buzzed as Yang rose her voice to match.

"Something tells me wonder-boy over there didn't-"

"I have a name, you know!" Yang smiled wide and put a palm out, as if beckoning him forth.

"Well?" The boy spoke up, almost imperceptible in the rising volume level of the club.

"Jaune, my name is Jaune." Yang chuckled and turned back to staring down Weiss. Blake sipped at something in the corner of Weiss's eye.

"Well, _Jaune_ here clearly didn't know what he was getting into when he came and brought you back here to _this_ booth, did he?" Weiss frowned and looked back at Jaune. He shrugged and they both listened to Yang continue. Jaune paled at her next words.

"This is one of the buyers' tables, sweetie! You tell me what you're looking for, and I hook you up, plain and simple. The club and the bar are a nice, sweet front and I doubt even the bartender knows what goes on back here. Now, I'm letting you know out of courtesy because you two just looked so _innocent_ ; let me guess, third date? Last chance to see if somewhere fun can kindle whatever's between you?" Yang tsked as the two looked down at the table, avoiding the other's eyes.

"Here to buy something, or what? If not, y'all better just scram. You're holding up real business." Yang's eyes hardened as she grabbed Weiss by the chin, slightly frowning.

"You look awfully familiar…" Weiss's eyes widened in alarm as she swatted Yang's hand away and looked down, trembling slightly. Yang cocked her head at the strange girl's behaviour, feeling moderately amused.

"What do you have?" Weiss's voice came out small but just loud enough for Yang to hear. A smile came back across her face and she held out her hand without looking as Blake handed her a scroll, complete with a "menu" of sorts showcasing the variety of dust they sold. Yang looked back at Jaune as she typed without looking.

"Last chance, pretty boy. Either this is your scene, or it isn't. Talk or scram." Jaune looked between her, Weiss and the quiet third before looking back at Weiss whose eyes were still glued to the table.

"I, uh, guess I'll, uh, see you later?" Jaune's voice wobbled as Weiss nodded mutely; Jaune slid out as the silent fourth stood up to allow him passage. Standing awkwardly at the edge of the booth with Blake looming behind him, Jaune managed a pained wave.

"I, uh… see ya." Jaune slowly turned before looking back over his shoulder and frowning. Shaking his head, he shuffled off back towards the bar and exit. Blake leaned over and onto the booth, obscuring Weiss's view of the rest of the club. Weiss suddenly felt parched and _much_ too sober for her current situation.

"C-can I get a drink, first?" Weiss let out; Blake nodded, reaching up and stretching her arms. Yang just shrugged at the request, chuckling lightly to herself.

"Even though it was a long time ago, I remember when I was on your side of the table. Or, booth, I guess. Whatcha want?" Weiss looked up at Blake who looked disinterested… but Weiss supposed it was more of a resting face. She wasn't sure yet.

"Sunset Mule. A double, please." Weiss had finally recovered and managed to utter words with her normal sense of confidence. Blake broke her facade with another smirk and stalked off towards the bar, her hips swaying as she went. Weiss heard Yang's chuckle and turned to look back, her eyes mirroring a deer in floodlights, her own emotions lost in a hurricane.

 _New experiences, new feelings left, right and center. Weiss OS is clearly in need of a reboot right now; pull it together, Weiss!_

"Checkin' out my girlfriend? I don't miiiiind, I already know she's cute." Yang leaned into Weiss's face, her eyes seemingly changing from a light lilac to a dark, violent palatinate.

"And mine. She just doesn't know it yet." Yang held her gaze for a few more seconds before leaning back and looking at her scroll again, this time flipping it sideways and holding it before Weiss. Her voice changed to a cheery, customer service tone as the music changed to a bouncing remix of a traditional rap tune; the club went wild. Yang effortlessly spoke louder.

"So we have here, and I'm going with the basics here, four kinds of simple dust. Red, white, blue and yellow; each kind has effects on its own, they can be mixed to varying degrees and have various effects based on concentration. Chem majors, and engineers, but you're _totally_ a freshman, come in _huge_ handy here. You aren't a chem major by chance?" Yang raised an eyebrow and shrugged when Weiss shook her head, blushing but not bothering to correct her.

"Worth a shot. Anyways, they run programs and simulations, combined with testing on voluntary subjects paid in free product. Easy stuff, no biggie, everyone benefits. On to the types of dust, I'm thinking either a yellow or white suites you; blue's too much of a downer for someone already sad-looking like you, and red's too crude for such a prim and pretty face…" Yang slowed down her delivery to set her hand beneath Weiss's jaw, using her index finger to gently turn Weiss back towards her.

"Look at me when I talk to you." Weiss felt a stirring within her and felt ashamed at it; her cheeks burned, furthering the contrast against her pale skin. Yang chuckled and continued her spiel.

"As I was saying, white dust might fit you, considering your theme you've got going on here," Yang motioned up and down at Weiss's predominately white outfit.

"But! It's definitely a downer and not always the right fit for everyone." Yang gave her a critical eye before twirling a strand of her lion's mane in Weiss's face.

"Yellow, on the other hand, is a real upper and could bring some light into your life; perfect if you feel like you aren't too comfortable meeting people and maybe your current friends distancing themselves because, oh, you're being… boring?" Yang winked with the ending and Weiss looked down, the blush setting in permanently on her face. Blake arrived just then with the copper mug in one hand and a pair of glasses with small handles and dark, swirling contents in the other.

"Here. Yang's long-winded, this might help." Weiss accepted gratefully and sipped liberally as the two bantered back and forth. She felt her apprehension lessen a bit, but not by much.

"Hey! I am _not_ long-winded, it's called being good at a sales pitch! There's a reason why I'm the talker here." Yang whined as Blake scoffed.

"Yeah, and there's a reason why he puts me in charge here. Words have gotten you in trouble way too many times." Yang scoffed back, playing hurt, and looked back at Weiss.

" _You_ don't think I'm long-winded, do you?" In response, Weiss stirred her lime around in her cup, choosing to stay silent. Yang's shoulders drooped.

"And here I was, about to offer you a first-timer discount. Guess it's regular price for you, then…" Weiss looked back over, chuckling in spite of her emotions.

"Whatever you're charging, I can afford it. Don't… don't worry about that part." Yang was taken aback, an amused smile shared between her and Blake. Yang opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Blake speaking forcefully.

"What's your name?" White hair curtained an embarrassed face as she replied.

"It's Weiss. Weiss Sch-Snow. Weiss Snow." Blake shook her head.

"Odd. Anyways, I don't need your last name, I just need you to be less stupid." Weiss's face lit up in indignation before Blake continued.

"Always read what people are willing to give you and take it and more. Saying you want less value, even if you _can_ afford it, is just plain stupid and inefficient. Don't be dumb, I can tell you're not." Blake sat back and crossed her arms as it was Yang's turn to look bewildered. Composing herself, Yang spoke to the now-brooding Weiss.

"Yeah, what she said. Which is the longest I've heard her speak in weeks, lemme tell you." Yang cracked another smile and tried to start again, but Weiss was barely listening.

 _I'm in way over my head, aren't I? These people are probably my age but they've clearly seen some shit and could probably take adv- hell, who am I kidding. They already have. They're probably in with some deep shit and I'm probably in trouble…_

"-and there's also the guns and related jazz that you're probably not interested in, but you know, in case you wanted to kno-"

 _Yep. Waaay in over my head. Let's buy some shit, dump it in an alley and move on._

Another voice nagged from the corner of her mind, though; one that couldn't forget Yang's piercing lines about her current social situation in life.

 _Or… you know. You've always liked private; that's the point of the single apartment. No one would ever know… You can be_ fun _again!_

Weiss sighed aggressively and interrupted Yang's current monologue, a fire suddenly in her eyes. Blake leaned forward onto her elbows, an excited look in her eyes. This was the turning point for sales, usually; that face either meant "let me out" or "order me twenty grams" and in Blake's experience, the ratio was usually something like 20/80.

"How much is a normal dose for the yellow dust?" Weiss cringed at the way she came across but Yang's face lit up past her regular cheer; Weiss wasn't sure how that was possible.

"Well, most people roll and smoke two to four grams a session, depending on tolerance. You? Can't be more than forty-five, fifty kilos? So definitely on the two g's side. A week? Probably once a day, two on a lazy day. Ten a week to be safe, looking at forty for your first month. Two ounces for someone like you for a first month would leave you some leftover incase you share or something. Whatcha thinkin' about? Yang's voice flew at a mile a minute; she knew the hook was in and it was just a matter of reeling in a careful pattern.

"People don't… snort it?" Yang's eyes opened wide and Blake's mouth actually broke into a real smile. Weiss didn't notice.

"Well… uh, yeah. They do sometimes, but it's not necessarily recommended when you haven't really experienced y-dust before. As a personal recommendation… I wouldn't say it's a good idea to start out wi-" Yang glanced to her side and noticed Blake glaring daggers at her.

"-but you know, it's your prerogative. I'm just the dealer, don't mind me." Weiss nodded and began drawing on the table with her hand, making calculations. Yang frowned and opened her mouth before she saw Blake vehemently shake her head. Yang shut her mouth again.

"So… how much an ounce?" Yang nodded; maybe the girl was reasonable after all.

"Yellow will run you fifty; white's pretty valued, considering it's basically upscale blue so that's about a hundred, blue's around thirty and red's eighty right now, but all but blue fluctuate pretty regularly. What are you thinking?"

"How fast can you get it to me?" Weiss fired back. Yang shrugged.

"Depending on the order, a day or two? If the order's small, maybe right now. Depends on what we have in right now." Blake nodded along as Yang spoke; the percentages here were certainly upwards of 99% in favor of purchase. Weiss hummed before clicking her fingernails on the table a few times. Yang subconsciously leaned forward in an expectant, anxious manner.

"Fifty ounces of white, thirty yellow, five blue. How soon can I expect it?" Weiss turned from the table to see Yang's jaw drop and then to see Blake's hands slip from supporting her head, causing her to jerk back upwards.

"Y-you what? Like, pounds of- yeah, okay, yeah sure." Yang nodded, trying to compose herself. Weiss frowned, miffed at their expressions.

"What? It's not like I plan on being back here often. Think of it as an investment in time and, what did you say, Blake? Efficiency?" Blake finally showed teeth in a smile as she nodded and stood up, slamming her drink back before waving at Yang with two fingers and walking away. Weiss gave Yang an expectant pair of upturned palms.

"So?" Yang nodded and pulled out her scroll, typing furiously. After a few seconds, it rang.

"Yes? Yes. I'm certain. No, she's not… no. She's- yeah. Yes. I know. Okay. You sure? I- oh." Yang held the scroll back out in-front of her and stared at it, like it had gained sentience. Weiss felt uncertain, the feelings of doubt creeping back in. Yang saw her face begin to fall and set the scroll down on the table, her hands grasping Weiss's shoulders.

"Hey! That phone call was a good one. The boss himself is coming down to give you the IOU procedure and what to expect on your… order. We have the blue in, but that much white and yellow… that'll be a hot minute." Yang rushed out as Weiss nodded; she expected as much, but had still felt the smallest creepings of doubt slide in. Shaking her head, she took a quick breath and pushed all of her feelings down but confidence.

 _Utmost confidence. We've got this, Schnee!_

"I'll take it all at the same time. When's he coming?" Weiss finished as a tall, masked man rounded the corner of the palisade, Blake on his arm.

"Why hello, dear." He stopped next to the booth, holding a ring out and Yang stood up quickly to kiss it. She stepped back and out of the way as the man sat down, leaving Blake and Yang on opposite sides of the booth, looking out towards the club.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you, Weiss." Three sets of eyes opened wide; the couple quickly glanced at the booth before looking at each other, then back out to the club. Weiss's eyes narrowed at the slits in the mask, trying to discern its owner's identity.

"You won't remember me, but I remember you. We were friends, once." He waved his hand, dismissing the sentiment and pulling out his scroll with the other hand. On it was nothing but a price, a date and a line for a signature; the date marked a week out from then. Weiss reached out and simply tapped her ring to the scroll and it pinged; the pair on guard looked on in shock before looking away.

"Now, that's something you don't see every day. Don't worry, it'll be charged as the bar so you can explain it to him as a… night out on the town." He chuckled. "A very expensive night out, certainly." He pocketed the scroll and slid out, standing and reaching his hand out towards Weiss. She frowned at the gesture and looked closely at a scar near the knuckles of his index and middle fingers.

"You saw Yang, didn't you? Don't make me ask." Weiss felt the irate feeling bleed from behind the mask but still smiled as she stood up to match him; the two behind Weiss were incredulous at this point. No one played with the boss, ever; even the mask couldn't hide a twitching eyebrow. Weiss grinned.

"You know, I never was one for kissing rings. Seems like a good way to catch mono, doesn't it, _Adam_?" Weiss almost sneered the name as the addressed took a step back in shock, smiling and then laughing uncontrollably; the sound boomed over the music to resonate in Weiss's ears. Adam regained his composure and stood back up straight, putting his arm on his waist as Blake complied immediately. Blake's face remained impassive and Weiss could see Adam's walls reform as he cleared his throat.

"Well done, detective. I figured the fingers would be my giveaway… you'll kiss it one day, believe me. Everyone always does. I'll be in touch, Miss Schnee." Adam slipped his unoccupied hand in his coat pocket and tossed a small pouch towards Weiss, who flinched away in shock. Yang's arm shot out in front of her and caught it before setting it in Weiss's hand. Weiss nodded shakily and attempted to stand up straight again.

"A… signing bonus of sorts. Welcome to the _family_ , dear. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Adam's laugh began as he walked off, the noise disappearing as he rounded the corner. Weiss nearly collapsed into the booth as Yang slowly sat down across from her.

"You're a Schnee?" Yang noted incredulously; Weiss nodded as she finished her drink off and reached for Yang's untouched glass, knocking it back as well. Yang looked on, still blown away by the previous sequence of events.

"Yeeeeeeeep. One of three, that's me!" Weiss felt delirious. Two wild turns of fate in one night… almost too much to handle.

 _Might as well make it fucking three!_

Weiss fingered the bag open to shift it around, seeing a golden yellow colored dust inside. The bag was small but couldn't have weighed less than half an ounce. Yang placed her hand over Weiss's; the dust newbie flinched at the contact.

"There's a back room for these sorts of things, you know. No need to risk anything out here." Weiss looked up, briefly shocked.

"R-right. Lead the way?" Weiss looked as confident as she sounded but Yang stood up anyways, shaking her head. Standing up, Weiss pulled the drawstring back and grabbed Yang's arm like Blake had done to Adam.

"Onwards to… to…" Weiss struggled as Yang finished for her.

"To a new chapter." Weiss nodded at her new companion's choice of words.

"Let's go make it a good one!" Weiss partially slurred as the music changed from a downtempo, funky tune to a hard-hitting, high-hat filled track; the energy in the club exploded and Weiss felt as if she were watching her body walk with Yang to the back, felt as if she wasn't the one pushing open the curtain, saw Yang glance left and right before following her body into the room. Saw Yang sit down at the table and roll two ample joints before pulling out a lighter, instructing other Weiss on how to smoke. After other Weiss pulled in her first puff and coughed up most of it, Yang laughed; Weiss felt her consciousness get yanked back into her body and the sense of the room rushed in all at once. The time passed in a blur of smoke, bass and champagne; she wasn't really sure when the drinks had arrived. The night rolled by in waves, the sensations passing from a euphoric excitement of laughter and jokes to more peaceful, down-tempo chatting on the couch.

Passing time ground to a screeching halt as Weiss suddenly found herself extremely close to Yang, her own breath hitching as Yang's glazed eyes roamed her face, settling on her lips. Weiss felt them dry and ran her tongue over them; she heard Yang's sharp inhale before Yang closed the distance and Weiss threw herself into it. The night resumed again, like someone hitting fast-forward on a video playback, and all Weiss could pick out were the happy bits, messy as they were. The picture seemed to slowly gain blurred edges; as the distortion grew, blackness grew at the edge of it. Weiss's last thought was of Yang, laid out halfway beneath her, and their hair in a mixed, golden pile to their side, looking a lot like the dust she'd been given from what felt like a lifetime ago.

 _It all just felt so… right._

* * *

 _She's burning here below my mind_

 _The green and purple smoke it rises, rises_

 _As every hidden wish collides_

 _Those illusions but I can't deny it_

 _She's burning in below my mind_

 _The green and purple smoke it rises, rises_

 _As every hidden wish collides_

 _I'm falling and I can't deny it_

* * *

 **A/N: Freezerburn isn't a main pairing, it just flourished and with the current story-train, I felt that it needed to happen. Get excited because I am.**

 **r/f/f please. Every word inspires me!**

 **-ken**


	3. III: Black Wave

Chapter III: Black Wave

* * *

 _Black wave coming will it hit_

 _I can taste the fear yeah it's written on my lips_

 _Sipping on a cold one waiting for the rinse_

 _Woke up with an omen tatted on my wrist_

 _Black wave coming will it drop_

 _I can see the fear yeah it's written on the wall_

 _Who you gonna trust when the killer is the cop_

 _Fire in my bloodstream, water in my lungs_

 _Waiting on a black wave_

 _Running in a rat maze_

 _Shaking in my own cage_

 _What do I believe?_

* * *

Ruby ran up the stairs, remembering that waking up was just a stark reminder of just how fucked up and shitty her life was sober. Upon waking up, she had splashed water on her face and laced up her only pair of shoes before pounding up these dripping concrete steps in her apartment's garage. Actually, that wasn't the whole truth; she had actually spent a good thirty minutes staring down her ceiling, wondering why she was even alive _before_ she had done any of that, but she had nonetheless made it to the steps with her shoes tied and her shorts on properly. More than she could say about her attire on other, less scrupulous occasions.

Six floors of a dull, damp parking garage made for a surprisingly good morning run; she found that if she spent too much time indoors, she went insane and tended to tap her leg and drum her fingers to a worrying degree. The movements sometimes reminded her of a hummingbird's wings but inverted; she felt calm when in motion yet her body raced furiously when still.

 _An perfect twist fit for a fucked up mind._

A slight twinge in her knee remained from a previous injury, but the pain kept her lucid and kept her going; after all, the highs were more pronounced by how poorly time was spent when she wasn't.

Or so she told herself. Today, she only made four cycles as opposed to her normal six before she felt extremely run down; maybe she was finally hitting the rumored bell-curve of blue dust. That dreadful place where even the most careful of addicts would plateau and lose the ability to feel the same highs, even with higher doses of blue dust. If someone hit that spot when smoking, snorting usually took it to the next level. But Ruby had already done that, so if this was it for her…

Ruby shook her head and stood up to run another cycle. She refused to believe that she was already at the limit of her budget's reach; she refused to devolve into full junkie status, living homeless and in pain. As she saw it, she had two options; detox and sober up in a facility (which would be expensive) or get a better job to afford white dust(which was also expensive), or somehow find a new dealer for a newer strain of blue dust (which would inevitably also be expensive). The newest blue on market was Brandeis; a synthetic blue cut with 15% white, giving it a lighter shade and a more potent effect. Cheaper than full white but still expensive… she had gotten plain blue a week ago at a budget forty for two ounces but that dealer had disappeared; recently she had been forced to pick up a single ounce for the standard thirty. A full month of Brandeis for her could be somewhere in the neighborhood of a cool hundred… and hitting that on top of rent and food would be impossible on her current salary.

 _Always about the dust damn money. Money, money, money, fuck!_

Ruby pondered this as she came back down the stairs slowly, contemplating just how badly she needed to eat actual protein and real green veggies.

 _Noodles? Eggs? Maybe I can negotiate a slightly lower rent… even ten to fifteen bucks could help. Maybe I could help out around the complex somehow? Maybe… ugh. Work more doubles?_

Ruby kept thinking throughout her shower; even as she left, the wheels kept turning. She grabbed her keys and wallet and locked the door on autopilot, making her mile trek to the ReD-dy-Mart, an affordable and pleasantly themed red mini-mart complete with rows of ramen and eggs in the fridge; all she'd need for the upcoming week. Hopefully.

It was amazing how productive an addict could be at trying to continue being a successful addict.

 _So if I spend a dollar on this large box of ramen… two on eggs, that can last the week. Three times four is only twelve dollars! Maybe another three for some chili oil and white pepper… life can't be abysmally boring… which eggs should I get, oh I know the brown eggs, they're bigger tha-_

Ruby crashed into some other person upon turning towards the fridge, sending her ramen to the floor and creating a crashing noise; the other person slamming into the shelves of boxed goods as Ruby fell back onto her wrists and ass.

"Ah, shit. I- my bad." Ruby spoke and looked up; what she saw was a perplexing combination of confusion, pain and rage wrapped across the face of one cute, short girl whose hair was whiter than Ruby's teeth (unfortunately) and whose eyes looked like Ruby felt; the tell tale signs of either a hangover or withdrawal symptoms that Ruby knew all too well. Or both. Her kinda gal, it seemed. Ruby hopped up and picked up the two boxes of bagged wine labelled with a bright red D off of the floor and handed them to the strange girl, who accepted it with wordless thanks. The frown, at least, disappeared and she took a closer look at Ruby who felt uncomfortable in the scrutiny. She finally sighed and pinched her nose with her free hand, scrunching her eyes shut for a moment before talking.

 _Definitely a hangover. Who drinks boxed wine at eleven in the morning?_

"Apologies. Are you alright? I seem to be… worse for wear, at the moment." The girl moved her hand from her face and gave Ruby a onceover as the redhead chuckled and grabbed her box of ramen off the floor.

"I'm good, thanks. You, uh, do this often?" Ruby nodded down at the box; the girl blushed lightly and attempted to hide it behind her small frame.

"N-no. Besides," the girl huffed, "It's none of your business." Ruby nodded and turned to grab the white pepper she wanted from the shelf. The oil would have to wait for a sale.

"You're right." Ruby swallowed the whisper and turned back towards the fridge area. The other girl was already turning away. Ruby glanced over at the end of the aisle, where more boxes sat waiting for other unfortunate, poor college kids to buy them.

 _Decision time._

Ruby stepped forward quickly and grabbed another of the boxes off the shelf.

"Can I make it my business?" Ruby blushed as the words came out of her mouth. Before the pale-haired girl could even turn around, Ruby re-worded.

"I mean, uh, you want a drinking buddy?" Ruby held the extra box of wine out in front of her. The other, seemingly frazzled girl stopped in her tracks and turned back, a quizzical look in her eye. Seemingly mulling it over, she nodded and kept walking. Ruby smiled and followed, quickly adding a carton of eggs to her growing pile in her hands before standing behind her mystery girl in line.

"If you had to pick a favorite color," she chimed in from ahead of Ruby, "White or yellow?" Ruby chuckled in response as she looked around the store.

 _That's different; most people aren't so blatant… But I mean, she is drinking fucking Doon before noon on a weekday…_

The customer ahead of them was tapping the counter aggressively as his change was counted. He could be a red user or just an impatient, angry man; Ruby paused in thought as he walked away.

 _Hard to tell when your own life is so clouded by the scene that people on the street grow drug-heavy backstories in your head…_

Ruby shook her head vigorously and looked at the girl before her in line. Weiss scratched behind her ear every few seconds, although she tried to hide it like she was pushing her hair back. Even though she had asked a question, she was still looking forward as Ruby glanced to the side.

 _Withdrawals, withdrawals everywhere. Easy to read... or was it_ too _easy? Because it wasn't true?_ _Ah, fuck it._

"Blue, for sure." Ruby winked as the girl turned, shock briefly evident on her face.

 _Bingo_.

The shock turned to a frown as she looked carefully at what Ruby had in her hands, seemingly evaluating the contents and sifting Ruby's potential life stories through their meaning. Ruby felt naked beneath the sorting gaze of the best thing that had happened to her in weeks; something new, exciting and, well, strikingly beautiful. Ruby specifically noticed a light scar that ran across Weiss's left eye; definitely a scar with a story, but Ruby decided to leave it for later.

 _Definitely beautiful; not like all the magazine models… but my type for sure!_

Finally shaking her head, the girl motioned Ruby forward as they placed their things on the counter. Ruby had split the pile as they set things down, but found it pushed back together by the time it was across the counter. Ruby turned with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Let me pay for that at least. In exchange for your…" She struggled with her words.

"Companionship?" Ruby added, and the other nodded.

"Yeah… that. I'm Weiss, by the way." Ruby nodded in return and outstretched a hand.

"Ruby! Nice to meet you, and thank you." The two shared a smile and handshake before the cashier coughed behind them, making the two blush as Weiss turned to the cashier and Ruby to the window.

* * *

Weiss waved her ring at the cashier who, wide-eyed, slid a scroll before her. She tapped it and the cashier smiled nervously, bagging the eggs, noodles and wine. Ruby carried on unaware, looking out of the window at the sunny day. Weiss nodded her thanks before grabbing the bags which Ruby spun around and snatched up instead.

"Ah, nope, I'll take these. Where to, _friend_?" Ruby gave a wink for emphasis; Weiss stared for a moment before laughing and pushing the door open, taking in the fresh air and refreshing words with a new outlook.

 _Yang didn't say it'd happen so fast… friends bonding over drug use… that's a new low for the great second-born of the greatest bloodline to grace the world with their presence… Or is it a high? Get it? High, becau- shut up, Schnee._

Weiss shook her head as Ruby walked past her and out onto the street; Weiss slipped on her sunglasses and strode ahead to take the lead. Ruby squinted into the light, wondering how it had gotten so bright between her entrance and exit of the same mart.

"I'm two blocks down and one left. Not far." Weiss gestured as Ruby nodded, mapping it out in her head while stopped next to Weiss at the crosswalk. A lightbulb dinged as to what portion of the city they would venture into.

"Wait a minute; do you go to UV?" Weiss's face scrunched in reply as she looked out into the street instead of at Ruby. She felt ashamed with the connection between her academia and her recent… endeavors. Weiss grumbled her response as the crosswalk turned white.

"Yes. I do. I'm a third year. And you?" Weiss turned her head as they walked, her expression unreadable behind sunglasses. Ruby blushed a bit and kept walking in silence for a few seconds before responding.

"I, uh, go to VCC. This'll be my second year, actually. You probably think that's lame, given you go to freakin' UV, but, you know, I'm trying…" Ruby trailed off and the two walked on in silence, getting stopped at the next crosswalk. Weiss's sunglasses slid down and her eyes began to reflect the storm brewing in her mind.

 _At least you're putting effort into shaping your life where you want to take it… I just live mine as it's laid before me, droning on like a machine. Others don't see it that way, though... What can I even say to you, Ruby?_

"You know, that's admirable, really. People think I'm insincere, but I really mean it. You sound like you're doing great." Frowning as Ruby's face showed surprise, Weiss shoved her sunglasses back up her face and paced ahead faster, grumbling to herself.

 _Of course, I go and say something ridiculously dumb before we even get to drinking or talking even a little... Waaaaaaay to go, Weiss. Classic social ineptitude._ Jeez, you didn't even sound like a human being; more like a robot trying to pass in society. Get your shit together.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Ruby's shuffles sounded behind her as Weiss slowed down, both returning to the same pace as they met. Ruby looked at Weiss who continued to stare straight ahead.

"That's… honestly the nicest thing anyone's said to me in weeks. Probably months." Ruby spoke softly. The pair stopped walking, this time in a patch of shade gently covered by a leaning oak; Weiss matched Ruby's gaze from behind her sunglasses.

"I find that hard to believe." Weiss's frown slowly creased back onto her face but Ruby shrugged, returning to a normal volume.

"Definitely the first to mean it in a while. Just because people compliment you doesn't mean they mean it; it's usually just be small talk or some shit." Ruby kept walking, and Weiss pursed her lips thoughtfully as she followed.

 _All this serious thinking is giving me a headache. God, Adam was right; there's no way you can stop, really. Not for long; it's barely been a few days... I'll give into this addiction soon enough, even if I feel shitty about it right now. And what I did with Yang, i-is that who I really am? The fuck did I really do that night? Does she even remember? I barely do… And I don't even have a number or shit else besides going into that club again._

Weiss shuddered at the thought and didn't realize they were still walking straight until they were on block four; Ruby was thoughtfully whistling a crisp, swift eighth-note arpeggio while looking around, soaking in the neighborhood. Weiss's eyebrow shot up as the tune snapped the distraught girl out of her reverie; looking around, Weiss realized they were almost to the highway.

"Why didn't we turn back there? And, you do music?" Weiss internally facepalmed as her mouth finished moving.

' _Do' music? What the fuck Weiss, pull it together. For real. This is like, human number two outside of the club in the past few weeks (who are you kidding, months) and she didn't ditch you at the club with drug dealers like the first one._

Ruby laughed as they turned left at the block and began the circle back around.

"Yeah, I _do_ music. I like to call myself a producer, but I just make little beats here and there. Nothing too exciting and definitely not profitable. Yet." Weiss looked over to see a prideful gleam in Ruby's eyes before the brunette's nose twitched. Ruby sniffled while talking, wiping her nose on her wrist before glancing at it and seeing blood.

"Guessed I missed the turn, or something. Ah, shit." Ruby set the bags down and pulled out a pre-rolled piece of tissue from her waistband pocket to plug the offending nostril. Weiss looked on, her abject horror hidden behind her sunglasses.

 _Is… that going to be my life?_

"Nose tampons! Super useful and I can make four out of two squares of toilet paper." Ruby smiled with the unsightly white cylinder sticking out of her nose and picked the bags back up, proceeding down the concrete sidewalk. Unaware of Weiss's discomfort, Ruby continued down this particular stretch; it was almost fully shaded with cover from more large oaks; the lane here designed only for bicycles and pedestrians. It was a brief respite from the busy city bustling about; brief pockets of trees were set all along the number of bike and running trails throughout the city. Sometimes Weiss found herself biking through them… but the times were spreading fewer and far between and she figured with her newest hobby, the times would grind to a halt altogether.

 _So optimistic and cheery while her nose is bleeding from presumable abuse and she's eating, what, ramen and eggs? What kind of shit do I have to worry about besides what I force upon myself? Money? No. Education? No. Shelter? No. Food? Water? No!? Then for fuck's sake, why am I such a spoiled sack of shit?_

Weiss felt the rain begin to fall from her clouded mind.

* * *

 _When the ocean crash down_

 _Who you gonna call?_

 _Hold your breath, hold your breath_

 _Counting 1-2_

 _Counting 1-2_

* * *

Ruby had continued whistling and went a few steps before she noticed her new friend lagging behind entirely.

"Uh, Weiss?" Ruby turned around to see Weiss's head drooped, her hair creating a curtain in front of her head. A few droplets fell beneath the curtain and Weiss sniffled; she reached her hands up to wipe her eyes and kept walking, her hair parting for her face. Ruby was awestruck at how beautiful she looked, even with the remnants of a tear or two on her cheeks.

"You okay?" Ruby figured it best not to pry too hard; she didn't want to seem so pushy before they had really even talked. Weiss strode right by her and Ruby scrambled to catch up. Weiss sniffled again and took the steps by two up to the door.

"Just come inside already, it's hot as hell out here." Weiss held open the door from inside, not even bothering to look at Ruby as the two then went inside the ajar lift; Weiss pressed five and leaned up against the wall. As the doors closed, Ruby took the moment to lean back and peek to her right, _inconspicuously_ checking this strange girl out. She was dressed in the standard college girl wear of short athletic shorts, a cute dri-fit top and her unique, white hair drawn back into a ponytail. Plain with an extraordinary topping; Ruby felt intrigued.

 _There's no way it's real… but I don't see any roots, either. If it is real, that's awesome. Could I do my hair like that?_

Ruby frowned as her attention slid downward and caught on the most noticeable thing about Weiss's current emotional state; her left hand was clenched so tightly that her pale knuckles were turning a deeper shade of pink by the second. A conflict arose in her head between wanting to talk or keep silent.

 _I mean, if she's day drinking I feel like the shit's already fucked. Maybe I can, I dunno, make it better? In any case, I'm already committed to at least an hour or two here, so here goes._

"Weiss? Are you..." The addressed flicked her attention at Ruby as the door pinged and slid open smoothly, interrupting Ruby's attempt at conversation. Ruby wasn't sure what to make of the shorter girl's face. There was a mix of regret and sadness in there, at the very least; Ruby spent enough time looking in her tiny bathroom mirror to recognize those feelings immediately. It didn't consume Weiss, though; Ruby saw a fire that she herself had probably lost a while ago; nowadays, she didn't write or produce, she didn't really go for runs all that often… In more ways than one, today had been a serious anomaly. Weiss's face flickered back into her neutral demeanor and the pair walked forward into a short hallway with one frosted glass door at the end. Ruby's preoccupation with her own thoughts left her oblivious to the fact that the hallway lacked any other doors, like a traditional apartment building.

 _Now, all I have to do is go back and grab my laptop and complete the list of things I used to take seriously, ha. Ha. Not funny, Ruby. Don't be so neg- woah._

Ruby's jaw dropped as Weiss clicked her ring to the door; the door's glass cleared from completely opaque to see-through in an instant, showing a digital image of a stylized snowflake in the center. Ruby faintly heard a sigh escape from somewhere, but she wasn't sure if it was her new friend or the door's locking mechanism.

"Welcome. Weiss. Schnee." An automated voice rang out in the hallway as the door slid open and disappeared into the wall to the pair's left. Ruby looked from Weiss to the door with her jaw still open; Weiss turned over her shoulder and shrugged before walking inside, slipping off her shoes and popping them into a cabinet insert in the wall.

"It stopped being cool after, like, the third time." Ruby blinked and walked slowly after Weiss into the apartment; lights were switching on in a series and the room came to life before her eyes. The glass chandelier perched above her head twinkled and the door hissed back closed behind her, prompting Ruby to spin around in fear. Weiss tsked from the room ahead, following that with clinking noises that Ruby could only guess were wine glasses.

"Scaredy-cat. I know what you're thinking, by the way." Ruby spun back around at the voice; Weiss was in a kitchen, from what she could tell. She was talking, but Ruby couldn't hear her; the sheer beauty of the place swept her off of her proverbial feet and her eyes darted about, soaking it in. She hadn't seen such extravagance in person before in, well, ever!

"Probably just a rich, spoiled sorority girl or something…" Weiss's voice droned in and out of her consciousness.

 _The kitchen probably costs more to create than I've made in my entire life… Holy shit!_

A marble-topped island marked the entrance into the area; the stainless-steel fridge and range stove were directly beyond that. A single door led off to her right next to what appeared to be a laundry closet, and off to Ruby's left sat an incredibly large bed, complete with a ring of cushions similar to a couch shaped like a donut. Various piles of covers adorned the hybrid piece of furniture, making for a blend of colors and textures. The array starkly contrasted with the white walls that came into view as the lights slowly cranked up to full output. Ruby found herself captivated beyond belief. The bags of boxed wine dropped from Ruby's hands and the redhead prepared to spring forward before a piercing whistle broke her concentration.

Clutching her ears, she glared over at Weiss who had her brows scrunched in pain as well. Both seemed to sport a headache; if that had been loud for Ruby, she could only imagine how much Weiss regretted the whistle's reverberations through her own skull. Ruby shuddered gently.

"Sorry… but, you know. Shoes." Ruby stood up straight and stared at Weiss like she had forayed into German. Weiss facepalmed and walked to grab the bags, tapping at Ruby's shoes as she bent down, her shirt sliding ever so slightly up her back as she leaned over, revealing the small of her back.

 _I could just touch, a little, right-no Ruby shut up, shut up she's standing back up-focus-_

"Shoes. Off. I'm not a heathen like you, apparently; I have standards." Ruby frowned as she slipped her shoes off and set them in the cubby next to Weiss's shoes.

 _Refocus. Do people normally do this thing with shoes? Then again, do people normally have apartments like this? Man, this is overwhelming. I'm feeling so many different urges way too early in the day and I left all my good shit back at the apartment..._

* * *

A curtain drew back from the wall beyond the kitchen; the whole wall was glass from ceiling to carpet. Rain now pattered lightly on the window even as the sun shone in; the clouds were milling about, tinged lightly with grey. Nothing awful was on the horizon; Weiss took it as a good omen as she focused her attention back on the kitchen.

Ruby stood awkwardly, idly thinking as Weiss stuck the eggs in the fridge and left the ramen on the floor; noticing her lack of movement, Weiss looked up and exasperatedly pointed to the bar stools.

"Are you just going to stand there all day? They not teach you how to enter rooms at VCC?" Weiss chuckled as she reached for the glasses but the smile fell off her face when she noticed the half-hidden hurt in Ruby's eyes as the previously vibrant girl stepped forward and plopped into a stool.

"Sorry. I'm, uh… real bad at jokes. And the whole 'people' thing." Weiss flashed a pained smile and Ruby looked up, nodding. Weiss undid one cardboard box and began unscrewing one of the plastic bags inside, pulling it out and hefting it in her hand.

 _I'm glad Ruby grabbed another box. I think I'm gonna need it._

"It's okay. I'm just… in awe, really. H-how do you afford this kind of place? Especially in what's basically the center of Vale..." It was Weiss's turn to feel pained; a few people in a not-so-distant past had met her, used her and left her. Weiss poured herself a generous glass first, then slid another towards Ruby. The two clinked in cheers and sipped a little.

 _Surely this time it'll be different. She's not like the others… I can tell._

Another voice spoke up in Weiss's head.

 _And the last time you let that different person in, they took you by the hand and smashed you down up against the wall before leaving you broken on the floor. Is this stranger, this underprivileged, presumed-drug addict redhead deserved of entry past the walls of Weiss Schnee?_

Ruby looked at Weiss patiently as the two sipped on; Weiss's sips seemed more like gulps, in any case. Weiss failed to hear a gentle chuckling from Ruby.

 _Why does Ruby being a stranger make this feel easier, somehow?_

Weiss inhaled sharply before filling her glass back up with more shitty wine and gulping down the entire thing. Ruby sat back in her stool, moderately aghast.

"I'm sorry, I won't ask about it if you're not comf-" Weiss swallowed and sighed, waving her empty glass to cut Ruby off.

"No, it's fine. The money's from an inheritance, and this flat was empty when the previous owner decided to sell it to me; it's paid off, I just pay taxes and utilities." Weiss nodded, reassuring herself about continuing and Ruby gave her the space, not pestering her. That alone gave her some confidence, but Weiss poured herself another glass of wine just to be sure. Handing the bag to Ruby to fill her own, Weiss sipped and continued.

"I just slowly add pieces whenever I find something neat, I guess. And, uh, well…"

Weiss cleared her throat of the nervous lump caught between her collarbone and chin.

"This'll be easier if I ask you a question; did you catch my last name at the door?" Ruby frowned as she looked at her glass; the snowflake etched into the side clicked inside her head and her gaze shot up to Weiss, who blushed and looked away.

"No way! So the hair _is_ real!" Weiss turned back towards Ruby who covered her mouth with a hand, caught off guard by her own mouth. Weiss shook her head before starting to giggle then fully laugh. She laughed for a few seconds as Ruby hid behind her wine glass and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I'm surprised that was your first thought. Is yours, too?" Weiss pointed with her glass as Ruby nodded, her blush intensifiying to her hair's shade. She sunk her chin into her knees, mumbling as Weiss regained control and leaned onto the granite countertop, her elbows embracing the cold stone's touch. At this distance from Ruby, all of the other girl's facial features were perfectly pronounced; the ones she could see as of right now, anyway. Ruby murmured again from within her knees as Weiss hummed thoughtfully.

"Can't hear you like that, silly goose." Ruby looked up tentatively before smiling and sipping at her wine. Weiss found that her headache was diminished and her previous funk of a mood lifted, lightly.

 _Sharing my flat with a stranger, drinking in the middle of the day, actually laughing_ out loud _; all kinds of new experiences today. What else lies in store?_

Weiss lingered on the last thought as she caught a twinkle of sunlight beam into the dimly lit room; it shone on Ruby's cheek and Weiss resisted a suddenly strong urge to reach out and touch her, to sate the need for physical contact that currently surpassed her need for dust. It's not that she found Ruby attractive or not, per say… but Weiss's fingers itched to touch another life force beneath her own. Touch was powerful in Weiss's world and she felt it in full force today; Weiss was honestly afraid Ruby would notice her tapping and wiggling her fingers back and forth.

"Weiss?" The addressed blinked in surprise before tilting her head in question.

"Were you saying something? Sorry, I spaced out." Weiss spoke, slightly embarrassed. Ruby chuckled again and Weiss noted how genuine it sounded; it flowed forth unbeckoned unlike many a forced bark of laughter Weiss had heard many a time while growing up. It brought a smile to her face despite her inner turmoil.

"Yeah, I was, well... This is probably pushing it, but I figured since we're already asking strange questions and I'm sitting in an apartment I've never been in and I'm drinking boxed wine and, well how did you deal with, uh, it?"

 _So much for that calmed exterior over the inner turmoil_.

* * *

 _How did a girl like me_

 _End up in a world so mean_

 _Shaking in my own cage_

 _What do I believe?_

* * *

Weiss's breath hitched and Ruby's eyes widened to saucers; Ruby set her glass down and began gesturing frantically as she spoke.

"I-I mean, I ask because, well, I don't wanna b-bring up bad memories, but I… I just wanted to know how _you_ felt because I don't think I ever did." Ruby started out in a jumble of words and ended in a quiet, hushed mumble. Weiss caught every word and finished off her glass again. Ruby slid the bag back across the counter and noticed for the first time, as she averted Weiss's gaze, that there wasn't a single picture frame in the entire apartment. Turning back to Weiss, she found herself mostly unfazed by her acquaintance's current actions; the glass had been slid to the side and Weiss now had the bag tightly yoked by the neck. Ruby felt a certain kinship with the bag at the moment, but pressed on to keep speaking as Weiss hadn't elected to as of yet.

"I was fifteen." Ruby continued as she stared in Weiss's direction, willing her emotions to stay put for long enough to speak out clearly and coherently. Weiss finally looked up and met her eyes, nodding. Ruby noticed Weiss's hands splayed out across the counter top, even paler than her skin as they pressed into the stone. Ruby rested her elbows out in front of her as she slid her legs back down below the bar.

"She just… didn't come home from work, you know? I found out the next day from her partner… she was, uh, a cop." Ruby choked out. Weiss nodded and Ruby felt her shoulders droop, letting her hands fall out towards Weiss. Ruby found herself silent and sitting on a ledge of no return; any further, and the dam would come crashing down with her. Luckily, she didn't have to; a jolt travelled up her arms and down her spine as she opened her eyes to see Weiss's fingers gently overlaid across the tips of her own. She tensed up, but Weiss made no further movements and instead spoke up just as quietly.

"I was seventeen and had just gotten back from a tour, actually. They didn't report that part." Ruby leaned forward and raised her eyebrow at the subtle note of pride hidden in Weiss's voice as she continued.

"Imagine my surprise when I get home and instead of having a dinner ready for the family to sit around, there's just my unshaven father and a bottle of whiskey at the far end of the table. My siblings were both… noticeably absent. We always had dinners when one of us was back from a long trip… but that day, in my setting there was no food and no silverware: just a note." Ruby swallowed apprehensively and her hand twitched at the end of Weiss's last sentence; both of them looked down at their hands: Ruby's right, Weiss's left, in contact. Without looking up, Ruby rotated her hand over to put her fingertips to Weiss's own and gently curled her fingers, putting the gentlest of pressure between the smallest amount of shared surface area.

Ruby felt the slightest of shivers through their minimal contact and looked up at Weiss, who had her eyes closed and seemed to be biting her lip in pent-up frustration. Ruby frowned and tried to pull her hand back, afraid she had crossed a line but instead found Weiss's hand immediately chasing hers, this time snaking all the way up to Ruby's knuckles. A sense of anxiety bubbled up but Ruby felt it placated beneath a sense of ease; the kinship she felt over their shared experience was powerful, even if they really had just met. They sat in silence for a while, hands whispering back and forth with slight, small pushes; Ruby felt a strange sense of peace, not unlike the first few seconds after a line or two of blue dust. She hadn't thought it possible to attain anything close to that state without it… but then again, she hadn't been living for all that long. Maybe there was even more to life than this, out there, waiting and calling her name.

A sudden, harsh buzz sounded from the entry hallway and the two jumped apart, startled. Weiss glanced over at the door which had a panel hanging above it that Ruby hadn't noticed before. A crisp and colorful view of a delivery man pushing a dolly stacked with boxes showed on the screen. A bright red envelope sat atop the stack with an embroidered, blurry gold letter on the front.

 _Or maybe there isn't anything out there. Maybe it all ends here. Maybe this is it._

"Miss Schnee? I have a delivery from one Adam T. and a letter from a Cinder F. here for you; would you like me to bring them up to your door?" Ruby paled as the man mentioned Cinder, but Weiss didn't pick up on it and walked to the hallway, her right hand tapping against her thigh as her left hit an intercom button above the shoe cubbie.

 _Cinder? No, no, no no please, anything but-_

* * *

 _Black wave coming will it drop_

 _I can see the fear yeah it's written on the wall_

 _Who you gonna trust when the killer is the cop_

 _Fire in my bloodstream, water in my lungs_

 _Waiting on a black wave_

* * *

"Yes, please. Thank you as always, Klein." The man nodded and entered the elevator; Weiss pressed another button beneath the first and the elevator hummed shut.

 _Adam said they'd be in touch, but damn; that was fast! I guess I'm a high priority customer, or something… but who's Ci-_

The display changed to an image inside of the elevator and Weiss turned around to see Ruby shivering in the stool, her knees once again drawn to her face. Her thoughts ground to a halt and Weiss felt all of the confidence and trust she had built over the last hour morph into an elegant sandcastle, and the words poised to fall from her mouth a giant tsunami rolling towards the shore.

"Ruby?" Ruby looked up from the floor and then back down at her toes. Weiss felt her shoulders constrict and suddenly her tank felt itchy and tight even though she'd worn it a hundred times.

"You can go get the boxes." Ruby's voice came out at a whisper. Worried, Weiss took a step towards Ruby but stopped as the seated girl shrunk back into the chair. Weiss felt a frown crease her face violently and she spun around to walk towards the door. The glass changed from its frosted look to an opaque sheen to allow Weiss to examine her trusty delivery man. Klein was consistent in her life, even if she saw him once a week for less than five minutes at a time. It was a strange thought, but… suddenly, Weiss felt like she wanted Ruby to be more of a constant in her life.

 _It's not like she'll be competing with anyone; dust damn the attempts I've made at other friendships. Or anything else, really._

Weiss forcibly relaxed her face into her traditional, faux-calm mask, slipped on a pair of slides and clicked the door open to Klein holding a scroll out for her. Weiss tapped her ring to the scroll as she looked down at the odd letter atop boxes. Klein looked over the shorter woman's shoulder.

"A new friend in for the day, Miss Schnee?" Weiss suddenly felt insecure about the situation and stepped out to slide the boxes inside, pushing feebly. Klein set his hand on Weiss's shoulder and gently pushed her back, kneeling and sliding the boxes right inside the door himself. Weiss awkwardly stepped back inside around Klein and rested her hand on the doorsill.

"She's not… feeling well right now. Maybe another time?" Weiss muttered. Klein peeked once more before nodding sagely and sliding the scanner into his pocket.

"Maybe indeed. Have a wonderful day, Miss Schnee." Weiss nodded back and watched him enter the elevator, trailing the dolley behind him. As the doors began closing, Klein turned and waved; Weiss stared back as the metal clicked shut and the whooshing of displaced air indicated his departure. Weiss's emotional state had been through the ringer today; from an unknown high to a new, stressful low and almost everywhere in between; from missing her first lecture ever to drinking boxed wine with a stranger just as fucked up as she was, or so she guessed. Weiss stepped back and clicked the door closed again; it shut with a hiss and the glass frosted over. Weiss sighed and let her forehead knock against the thick glass; she felt dumb for pushing as Ruby had pulled away earlier.

 _Always fucking things up, Schnee. Classic Weiss-icle moves, poking people like the prick you are. Waaaaaaaaaaaay to go!_

Her mind's own sarcasm brought about her headache again and she thought about the letter that had been with the packages. Looking to her right, Weiss had barely set her hand on the envelope before she felt another hand grasp her wrist roughly and spin her around, slamming her into the door. It held firm but Weiss felt it could shatter before the glare Ruby was currently drilling through her skull. She hadn't ever considered Ruby's eye color before, but this proximity revealed them to be a pleasant, muted grey tone. An overwhelming sense of calm washed over Weiss in the moment; she'd once read that people either felt pure panic or peace in their moments before death. For Weiss, it was enough to know that she had reached people through her music, through her influence in her siblings' lives, through sipping on cheap-ass wine, sitting across a slab of granite from a girl who had kindness in her eyes and soul… somewhere.

She sure as hell didn't see it now, but she supposed someone else would get to see it, eventually. Even if all she got right now was a bruise on her wrist, an elbow in the chest and, probably, a knife in the throat. Weiss closed her eyes and tried to imagine the headlines instead of her potential near future.

' _Schnee singer found dead in apartment with thousands of dollars of illegally procured dust; no leads at this time.' You know, Father would probably resurrect himself to have a heart attack._

Weiss slowed her breathing and focused on each point of pressure on her body; a hand around her right wrist pinned above her, an elbow dug into her left shoulder, heated waves of breath rolling across her face, a thigh pressed up in between her own…

 _That'll leave an awkward mark._

 _And a deep bruise, there._

 _Sort of fruity-minty, really. There are certainly less pleasant ways to go._

 _...dust, is this really turning me on right now?_

Weiss laughed despite herself, opening her eyes and tilting her head at the predator before her; Ruby's eyes flashed and the redhead growled as her nose twitched. Ruby inhaled sharply and narrowed her eyes at Weiss before flicking her gaze at the envelope then back to Weiss again. Ruby's voice growled out from clenched teeth as Ruby shifted the pressure from her right elbow to her hand, placing it on Weiss's bare throat.

"How do _you_ know _Cinder_?"

Weiss gulped and felt each of Ruby's digits move along with the movement; the same digits she had just tenderly held not so long ago.

Suddenly, Weiss felt terribly and awfully afraid.

* * *

 _I believe_

 _Waiting on a black wave_

 _Living under bad days_

 _Shaking in my own cage_

 _What do I believe_

 _Stumbling down the street I swear to god you don't wanna test me_

 _Black wave blocking out the sun_

 _Baby when you go down ain't no coming up_

 _Thought that you were safe but nobody ever was_

 _Choking on a diamond, poison in your lungs_

 _At the end guess we're all just animals_

 _At the end is it all just greed_

* * *

 **A/N: Line breaks to help differentiate whose perspective each block is, by the way.**

 **Thanks for reading. r/f/f**

 **-ken**


	4. IV: Girls On Boys it's Automatic

Chapter IV: Girls On Boys it's Automatic

* * *

 _There were girls on boys, there were girls on girls_

 _Red heels on a table, in a champagne blur_

 _It all gets kinda hazy when your heart's fucked up_

 _We were emptying bottles, we were pushing our luck_

 _And it turned into the longest night of our whole damn lives_

 _Had the wildest times, ooh_

* * *

"Ruby, come on! Let's move it!" A figure hissed and motioned to Ruby from over by a fence. Ruby herself hid behind a car, a pistol weighing heavily in her right hand. Her left trembled up against the tire of the car as she peeked out to see more frantic waving in her direction. The full moon illuminated her arm moving back and forth.

 _This fucking idiot will be the death of me… She's still my idiot, though, or am I hers? Ugh, suck it up and do it, Ruby!_

Ruby glanced towards the streetlight ahead then looked behind her, back towards downtown, before taking a few short breaths and dashing forwards. She stopped next to her accomplice on the other side of the forced hole; said criminal held a welding knife in one hand and a pair of masks in the other. Her typically unrestrained long, jet-black hair disappeared into her similarly-dyed catsuit; Ruby thought it a shame. She'd recently chopped off her own hair but dyed it black to match the girl beside her. Ruby grabbed the bright red mask with devil horns and strapped it on; the eye slits had night vision capabilities, so she tapped the side of the mask twice and the world erupted into a faint green color. The recently cut fence had heat signatures that were fading, but a brighter signature moved around next to her, strapping her own mask on. The wisps of red and orange reached behind a more solid color and held a gun-shaped darkness in front of its body; the head's heat signature had also disappeared into the blackness of the night. A click echoed in Ruby's head; one safety was off. Ruby hesitated. A scoff sounded out.

"Ruby. You're not having second thoughts, are you?" She always sounded like this. Prodding, pushing; Ruby didn't think she would have ever done half of the stuff she'd done in the past year without the pressure, but most of it had turned out to be fun…

As of late, she found herself brooding far too much for her liking. The voice continued on.

"Ruby, come on. I'm the great Cinder Fall; who can stop me? Not even you can!" Gloved fingers stroked Ruby's chin and a blush went unnoticed beneath the devil mask. Cinder reached over Ruby's gun and clicked the safety off as her face moved close to Ruby's neck.

"You won't have to shoot anybody; it's just a precaution, okay? If you have to shoot, hit the lights and we'll switch the eyes back on and hightail it out of here. I have faith in you." Cinder drew out her last vowels affectionately and patted Ruby on the shoulder before tapping her own mask and picking her gun back up, crouching in front of the fence.

"Let's go." Cinder's voice had changed to a monotone, mechanical voice; not that anyone would think they were men anyways, but Ruby was sure they'd report the robbery on the streets as such. Their targets were too proud of their masculinity to do otherwise, and that was part of the reason why Cinder chose this crew. Ruby nodded to herself and followed the other heat signature through around and to the back door to the house, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her flashlight. She held her hands just like her mother told her to; left with the light, right with the gun on top. Funny how she was using a cop's advice to rob people, even if they weren't much worse than she.

"Contact." Ruby heard and then saw the bright flash that was Cinder's welding knife as the door's handle sliced in two; Cinder pushed inwards and Ruby followed closely, the two stalking through the house. Faint clinking and chatter was off to their left so Cinder veered right, silently taking the stairs two at a time. Ruby followed slowly, checking all around as they moved through the house, Cinder pushing open doors left and right. The hallway they were in was the most vulnerable they'd be; no way to hide their approach if someone discovered them here. Luckily, Ruby heard the telltale whistle from down the hallway and dashed to slide into the room next to Cinder. She closed the door behind them and Cinder let out a low whistle before tapping her mask; Ruby did the same and shined her flashlight ahead of them.

"Look at all of this…" Cinder whispered as Ruby moved back and forth across the pile of brick-like objects ahead of them. A majority were blue but about eight on the far right were white; Cinder grabbed and stuffed them into her backpack. Ruby slung her own bag off and swapped with Cinder, who filled the bag to the brim with the blue bricks. The bag was light, but Ruby felt the weight of what they were doing rest heavily on her shoulders. As usual, Cinder could tell what was wrong and stopped moving to flash Ruby a thumbs up before continuing, whispering as she went.

"It'll be okay, Ruby; I'll show you my appreciation when we get back, I _promise_." The implication was heavy in her voice.

 _She always knows when and how to reassure me…. It's almost scary. And really, really hot._

Ruby flushed and turned around, listening at the door for any sign of someone passing by. No one came, though, and Ruby heard rustling behind her. Cinder gave her an all clear gesture and Ruby clicked off the light before tapping her mask again. Sniffing, she glanced behind Cinder and her eyes widened behind the mask; a large piece of fabric was burning on top of the rest of the pile, casting an extremely bright green glow across Ruby's vision. Cinder tapped her own mask and forcefully pressed Ruby out of the room, checking left and right before closing the door behind them.

"This wasn't part of the plan!" Ruby hissed, feeling worse about the situation by the second. Cinder shook her head and set off down the hallway.

"Talk about it later, let's move." Ruby pressed her lips together tightly and quickly followed, the burning smell growing in her nostrils. The talking grew louder as they passed by the kitchen where voices emanated from, presumably people smoking and drinking in the room one over. It suddenly stopped, however, and Cinder froze ahead of her. They weren't but five feet from the back door, but between them and the backyard was the hallway the group had to take to go upstairs.

"You smell that? The fuck is that?" Ruby heard the commotion from the other room and began to sweat. Cinder turned around in front of her.

"We're going to run for the door; I'll shoot out in their direction, you push the door open and we sprint over the back fence and slip through the other yard to Nora, just like we planned, okay?" Cinder's altered voice creeped Ruby out, but she nodded and gripped her gun tighter as Cinder inhaled and exhaled slowly. The shouts began as the smoke detectors sounded and chairs scraped across the floor in a panic. Cinder burst forward and Ruby struggled to stay with her; the room opened to their right and Ruby saw people running towards them. Cinder shot into the frenzied pack rushing down the hallway, the muzzle flashes nearly blinding Ruby, and a flurry of curses in a language she didn't understand came out after them. Ruby shouldered the door open and Cinder's gun went off a couple more times behind her before they were dashing across the yard. Shots rang out behind them but Ruby kept running, Cinder's footfalls and heavy breathing coming in behind her. Ruby tossed her flashlight over the fence, sliding her gun into the holster on her back and jumped, pulling herself up and over. She turned around and caught Cinder's knife as she saw hands, a head and then a full body clear the fence after her. Dropping to pick up the light, Ruby started running, veering right to the side of this house as gunshots splintered wood behind her. Cinder passed her as they entered the new front yard and shot the lock off the gate, pushing it open. A bright red Schnee X-ray idled before them, the trunk and passenger door already left ajar for them.

 _Nora's here! Thank dust she wasn't made… especially sitting in this car!_

A pink glove waved at them from the driver's side window. The pair slid off their backpacks and chunked them into the open trunk before Nora's voice reached them from the front seat, yelling over the rumbling engine in the trunk. Ruby slammed the cover shut.

"Glad y'all could make it. Let's fuckin' go!" Cinder slid in and turned, holding out her arms; Ruby jumped in and sat on her lap and Nora clicked the locks and floored the accelerator as the car roared to life, the door slamming shut from the sudden burst of speed. Ruby reached behind Cinder and flicked the gun's safety back on as Cinder did the same to her; Ruby pulled off Cinder's mask and chunked it in the back seat, leaving her own on as Cinder's gleeful laughter competed with the clamoring wind rushing by them. Ruby snuggled up next to Cinder; the brunette gently removing Ruby's mask. Ruby's face slowly slid into a smile as Cinder ran a hand through Ruby's short, messy hair.

"Hang on!" Nora yelled as she swung the wheel and drifted through a neighborhood street, the two passengers slamming into the door as she fishtailed before straightening the car back out. Cinder laughed again and Ruby felt a similar sense of joy infect her own soul. Ruby looked up; even without the vision the masks granted, she could see Cinder's face smile down at her, reflected in the rapidly flashing streetlights. Nora flew them through the streets, swerving around the occasional parked car. Cinder strapped the seat belt around the both of them and Ruby nestled her head into the crook of Cinder's neck. Nora whooped gleefully as she drifted through a red light that marked the end of the neighborhood and accelerated onto the feeder, the beast of a car moving faster yet as they reached the on-ramp. Nora slammed the car into fifth and then sixth gear before finally rolling up the windows and turning on a funky, fast-paced tune, settling back and letting the car race down the highway. Cinder murmured the song's lyrics softly into Ruby's ear as they drove on, moonlight reflecting off of Ruby's hair.

* * *

 _Oh darling you are the only one, it's automatic_

 _No one can love the way you do, it's automatic_

 _When you walk in the room you change my mood, it's automatic_

* * *

"Guess I'll see y'all at school tomorrow?" Nora turned down the radio and let the car coast slowly to a stop in front of the massive house before them. Lights shone out from the numerous floor-to-ceiling windows. Ruby snored from within Cinder's grasp and Nora shifted the car to park before cutting the engine.

"Yeah. How was the drive?" Nora's grin lit up the car as she pulled out the keys and dropped them into the slot beneath the radio.

"Are you kidding? I'll drive you guys anywhere, even in a cop chase, if it means I get to drive this baby!" Nora tapped the steering wheel twice before opening up the door, pausing with her leg halfway out of the car. Her voice came out way too seriously for Cinder's liking.

"She's only in for so much, Cinder. She has way more sense than the both of us put together, and you know it. Be careful, ya know?" Nora pulled herself the rest of the way out and closed the door gently, walking down the block to her own small coupe and speeding off into the night. Cinder sighed as Nora's ride finally disappeared from view and let the seat back slowly, stopping as Ruby stirred above her.

"Are we home?" Cinder smiled and felt her heart soar at Ruby's exclamation of just where home was; unbridled joy took her higher than the dust habit they shared. A corner of her mind reflected upon Nora's parting words, but the girl got like that sometimes; her new boyfriend was rubbing off on her, or something. Nora sounded weird when she got contemplative but Cinder pushed aside the statement and ran her hand up and down Ruby's back, her fingernails gently pressing over the fabric of Ruby's suit.

 _Another problem for another time._

"Yes, dear; we're home."

* * *

 ** _Oh, some people take it far_**

 _You need friction, but they try too hard and_

 _Oh, they just don't understand_

 _Too much pressure, it's supply demand_

 _I don't think you know_

 _You open up my eyes, I'm alive_

 _I'm moving to your rhythm and your vibe_

 _I love it when the night is started_

 _Oh darling you are the only one, it's automatic_

* * *

 **A/N: short ditty of some flashback stuff. I like writing this Cinder, so it'll happen again shortly.**

 **r/f/f, thanks**

 **-ken**


	5. V: Make Me Fade from this Location

Chapter V: Make Me Fade from this Location

 **A/N: feelin' on a roll in the past, so we're still going- can you tell I don't like Jaune?**

 **...post write; this got way darker than I thought real fuckin' fast, hmm**

* * *

 _Don't think I've been this nervous with a cold drink_

 _In my two hands, saying no thanks_

 _Like any way it goes cause I know things_

 _They shouldn't have told me_

 _Now I'm thinking what for_

 _Hanging by a sentence at the drug store_

 _Barely even steady out the front door_

 _Hate my own shit, but I love yours_

 _Fuck I really love yours_

 _7 in the afternoon, half asleep, count the cars_

 _All I think about is you constantly, that's the hard part_

 _Static on the line, I hear it all the time_

 _But I'm quiet when you make me fade_

 _Feel it coming back, watch it turn to black_

 _But I'm brighter when you make me fade_

* * *

"Ever tried a blindfold before?" Nora mentioned nonchalantly at the small lunch table, her pink hair moving as she mimed the usage. No one seemed to be listening, per usual. She sat up next to her boyfriend, Ren, who lounged against the wall drinking a shake instead of eating. Ren now had a streak of pink running through the shock of black hair he had atop his head. Cinder smirked at utilizing both the blindfold and some hair dye.

Glancing over at Ruby sipping her chocolate milk, Cinder toyed with doing these very things to Ruby, now that Cinder had washed Ruby's hair out and back to its normal red. Before she could think more on the blindfold, Cinder found herself interrupted by a nervous, stuttering mess of a boy from over by Ren.

"What was that, sweetie?" Cinder didn't even bother looking over as the scraggly blonde student tried to reformulate his words. She reached over to finger Ruby's hair, holding a couple of strands and closed her eyes to imagine them black; Ren sighed and set down his shake before grabbing him by the wrist.

"Spit it out." Cinder and Ruby both turned to glare at the boy at the same time and he let out a squeak before managing to eek out his request.

"I-I, uh, w-wanted to see about b-buyi-" The boy managed before Ren gripped harder, making him yelp; Nora looked over and glared.

"Shh! I'm _trying_ to eat here, jeeeeeez." Ruby chuckled as Nora rolled her eyes and went back to cutting up her food. The boy's breathing had sped up and Ren shook his head and slid a piece of paper out of his pocket. A gold C was written above an elegantly written phone number.

"Text what you want, memorize the reply, burn the paper, delete the number. Got it?" Cinder growled out. The boy sputtered affirmative and scurried off back to his table with the card; Cinder sighed and poked at her food with her fork.

"Talk about bold, even if his throat didn't work well." Ren spoke quietly. She looked up at the newest addition to their little team.

"What did I ever do without your man, Nora?" Ren chuckled and picked his shake back up; Nora smiled and talked through a mouth full of chicken fried steak.

"Thash wash when you got your reputashion, Cshinder!" Ruby leaned over and rested her head on Cinder's shoulder and joined the conversation.

"Not with your mouth full, Nora, that's so grooooss!" Cinder drew her left arm up and draped it over Ruby; she wasn't worried about people talking shit because of what Nora had actually mentioned. Before Ren and Nora and even Ruby, she had worked alone and had been selling since she was fifteen; only recently with the sort of "crew" that had assembled around her had she grown bold enough to actually steal from other rival groups. The cafeteria was buzzing about their heist two days ago as word had just gotten out, since it was a Monday. The group they had hit called themselves the _Ursi_ and took pride in their very "macho-man" posturing and behavior (and flashy black and red outfits), but today their corner of the cafeteria was deathly quiet and they took furtive glances around the room, trying to figure out who had cut a big portion of their profits from their lives.

Cinder sniffed just thinking about how much dust they had stolen and glanced at the large tuft of hair on her shoulder, remembering the smell of five or even six times the amount of dust they had stolen burning in that back room. A smile came to her face as she thought of the next part of her plan. Ren rose an eyebrow.

"New plans?" Cinder laughed and picked up her fork, forming a fist around it.

"Always so perceptive." She pushed one piece to the left of the plate.

"With the U's licking their wounds for at least a few months, the B's and Nevs will be anxious for a few weeks before picking up their pace and encroaching on their rival territories. We have a few options, but…" Ren raised his eyebrow at the implication he seemed to figure out, but Nora only focused on finishing her plate. Ruby sat up and tugged at Cinder's sleeve before being a little bold and sliding a hand underneath it, resting on Cinder's bare shoulder. Cinder shut her eyes and exhaled very slowly, grinning widely as she opened them again. She moved more pieces of steak around purposefully.

"But, since no one knows it was us, we can just fake getting hit ourselves and then hit whichever crew we don't want getting torn to pieces. After three are down and we let things lie, the last group left will be seized upon… like meat thrown to the lions." Cinder finished, stabbing the piece in the center through. Ren nodded as Cinder turned and ran her finger down Ruby's cheek from the corner of her jaw, inducing a shiver down the smaller girl's frame. Ruby almost began to pant before a shout sounded out from behind Cinder.

"Hey, dyke! Take that shit outside, bitch; we don't want that gay shit in here." A female voice rang out as Cinder let her hand trail down the rest of Ruby's face before letting it drop, having it hang mid air as she took another deep breath. Ruby leaned over the table and gasped at the exclamation, seeing a tall, grey-haired boy standing with his arms crossed a few feet from their table. A shorter, darker skinned girl leaned all over him and a pair of shorter guys dressed just like their alpha male stood menacingly behind him. Ren clicked his tongue in disappointment and Nora looked up from her food, seemingly taking in the situation. Her eyes lit up as she realized what was going down and some of the conversation near them began to die out, the other students spreading out and giving them a wide berth. Nora spoke up giddily.

"Hey, Cinder? Can I do the thing?" Cinder chuckled and gave Nora a knowing look as she finally swung her legs out of the chair, moving to her feet in a graceful, cat-like motion. Ruby glanced over and Nora and Ren, seeing them slide their hands into their pockets, and picked up Cinder's steak knife off the table, twirling it idly. She'd been in enough fights the past year to know when one loomed ominously or when it was mostly blustering… and this was definitely the former.

"Mercury, Mercury, little Merc." Cinder hummed as he grinned perfect pearly whites back.

"And the little tramp's here too; your name was, what, Sapphire? Amethyst?" The girl, dressed for the name with a button-down only clasped at the top, snarled and motioned forward; Nora stood up behind Ren and growled back at her. Mercury chuckled and put a hand in front of her as she hissed her reply at Cinder.

"It's Emerald, you fuckin' dyke." Cinder laughed in her face, leaning back to sit gently on the lip of the table. Ruby noticed the table didn't move at all and saw Cinder's calves tense below the uniform skirt.

"That's just unoriginal, you already called me one of those just a second ago. Merc, where'd the smart one go from last month? Or did she threaten your masculinity too much?" Mercury's smile turned flat as Emerald snarled, pushing Mercury's arm out of the way and walking up to Cinder's face, her nose flaring as she shoved her head up against Cinder.

"The fuck you say to me? To him? You wanna start something you piece of shit? I'll cut your dust damn throat out, you fuckin' whore!" Cinder just chuckled and set a single finger on Emerald's forehead, pushing her back towards Mercury and drawing to her full height. Mercury slid his right foot back and his arms came uncrossed; Ren stood up and drew a weight from each pocket, hefting each inside of closed fists. Ruby sighed as Nora put one leg up on the chair she had been sitting in.

"Ciiiiiiiiiinder, I thought you said you wouldn't start any fights this week! When you get bruised up, I always end up having to drive us to school…" Ruby pouted as Cinder's rising fists slid back down to her sides. Mercury frowned as he was caught off guard; Emerald grinned wide and reached behind her back as Cinder began to speak.

"You're right, little red." Cinder nodded. Emerald pulled a collapsable baton from behind her back and snapped it out to her side as Cinder turned her head to Nora, a predatory twinkle growing in her eyes.

"I won't start it. She will." Cinder pointed over at their pink-haired friend; Ruby's eyes went wide in shock as Nora split her face into a grin. A taser appeared in one hand and a metal knuckle appeared in the other as she leaped off of the chair, flying at Emerald with a fierce yell, pushing Emerald's baton out of the way and sending it skidding across the floor with her fist, knocking her down and pinning her beneath Nora's legs. Nora began jabbing the handheld taser into Emerald's bare stomach, sending her into a fit of convulsions as Mercury looked back at Ren after having watched Nora fly six feet across the cafeteria. Ren smiled with a proud glint in his eye and motioned with upturned fingers at Mercury.

"Well?" Mercury grunted in acknowledgement and led with a jump kick, attacking Ren and sending him on the defensive as the two moved away from the center of the fight, focused on each other's strikes and kicks. Ren and Mercury knocked over chairs and slid over tables as the crowd dispersed further; Cinder looked away and turned back to Mercury's lackeys with a maniacal grin, shaking her wrists out before forming fists.

"Like he said; you gonna stand there all day?' The two looked down at Nora brutalizing Emerald before looking at each other and nodding; Cinder noted they looked remarkably like twins, but thought it could have just been the matching apparel. One grabbed Nora by the arm and jammed a foot into her ribcage; the taser went flying from Nora's grasp but the now-empty hand held onto the attacking leg and pulled back, sending the two into a pile on the ground. Emerald lay groaning as the second charged at Cinder, missing as she deftly sidestepped the brutish assault and stuck a stiff hand into his neck, swiping upwards with her nails and leaving a series of shallow cuts across his skin. As she stepped back, the man turned and roared, this time aiming to take Cinder down by the legs. Cinder glanced left and saw Ruby circling around their current position, stepping lightly towards Nora's dropped taser. Smiling only served to infuriate him further, but Cinder was fine with that; as long as Ruby could sneak up on him, his size wouldn't matter.

The man closed the distance and Cinder brought up a knee; his nose directly collided with the bone but his inertia carried him through, sending the two sprawling to the floor with Cinder's ankle awkwardly pinned underneath her. Ruby's eyes widened as Cinder threw up her hands to protect her face; the enraged thug didn't seem to care and straddled Cinder at the knees, throwing punch after punch into her ribcage. Sprinting now, Ruby slid to pick up the taser, jumping up and clicking it on halfway there; the other student paused, cocking his head at the sound before turning just in time to receive an electric current jabbed at his throat, directly where Cinder had grazed him. His warbled screaming scared Ruby a bit, but seeing Cinder hurt scared her even more. Ruby pulled back and kicked him in the face as a compromise, pulling Cinder out from under his unconscious body as he fell. Ruby sat with her for a while placing Cinder's head head in her lap.

"Are you okay?" Cinder smiled before it immediately faded with a cough as she clutched at her ribs. Ruby yelped and took off her hoodie, placing it underneath Cinder's head before standing up.

"Stay put!" The pout-like command combined with the single tear sliding down Ruby's face stirred a desire Cinder hadn't even been aware of, if she was being honest with herself. She was in too much pain to disobey or say much at all, though, so she let her shoulders relaxed and her eyes slide closed.

* * *

 _Stumbling down the street I swear to god you don't wanna test me_

 _Black wave blocking out the sun_

 _Baby when you go down ain't no coming up_

 _Don't test me!_

* * *

"Go get 'em, little red." Cinder murmured. Ruby gave an encouraging smile before assessing the cafeteria; Emerald still remained on the floor, although she was working herself up onto her hands. The two pairs still fighting seemed mostly even; Nora sported a few cuts on her face but the guy she was fighting seemed to limp and favor his right leg. Ren and Mercury seemed even, but Ruby wasn't sure and interfering would probably put Ren at risk, so she moved on Emerald first. Emerald saw her striding over and panicked, trying harder to push herself up off the ground. She made it to one knee before Ruby came within striking distance and Emerald settled for getting insults in first.

"Cinder couldn't be bothered to get me herself? She sent her little crying puppy dog instead, boo hoo, Cinder got hurt; it's a fuckin' fight, you little bitch!" Ruby's face contorted in rage as Emerald used the distraction to try and pop up at Ruby; instead of being taken down, though, the redhead reacted quickly and drilled a snap kick right into Emerald's jaw. Emerald fell back onto her elbows and rolled over; Ruby pivoted and slammed a drop kick directly to Emerald's collarbone. A sickening snap sounded in the cafeteria, followed by Emerald's scream and a series of gasps from behind the cleared tables. Ruby looked up and growled before facing the squirming form of Emerald, placing a boot directly on the other girl's cheek.

"If you ever threaten her or insult her again, and I hear about it…" Ruby pressed down harder, eliciting a hiss of pain; a surprisingly sadistic grin grew on her face. The knife in Ruby's offhand twirled between lightly tanned fingers.

"I'll cut your throat out instead, you vain little bitch." Ruby raised an eyebrow at her own words and let up off of Emerald who stared back up in a tense mixture of fear and defiance. A lightbulb went off in Ruby's head and her mouth twisted into a ruthless snarl.

"You know, since you love your pretty face so much… I think I'll fuck that up instead." Emerald frowned as the fearful aspect definitely overtook the rebellious look in her eyes. Ruby rolled up her sleeve slowly, peering down at Emerald, relishing the control she held over the prone girl in the drawn-out moment. Ruby missed Cinder's bewitched stare from where she had left her girlfriend on the ground; she only focused on slowly and finally pushing her sleeve up past the tip of her elbow.

"Yeah…" Ruby abruptly grinned with fully bared teeth and rubbed her elbow for dramatic effect. Emerald's eyes pleaded upwards to no avail. Ruby tossed the taser over her back and gave her shoulder a little twirl.

"I'm gonna enjoy this." Emerald barely had time to raise a hand, mouth ajar and forming 'wait' before Ruby seemingly slid her feet out from underneath herself, swiftly bringing her elbow to Emerald's face and slamming the point directly over the lower portion of Emerald's nose, inducing another much more satisfying crunch. Emerald's scream was muffled as Ruby held her mouth shut from the jaw and leaned down, watching the blood pour from the damaged nose with interest.

"Mmm, that's a beautiful red color. Matches my shirt, don't you think?" Emerald whimpered now, fully terrified that Ruby would continue as another hand suddenly grasped an ear; her eyes widened even further.

"What if I took one of these, too?" Ruby's grin threatened to break her own jaw as Emerald let a tear leak silently from the eye furthest from her tormentor. Ruby tilted her head and re-examined Emerald's leaking nose.

"Such a splendid specimen, that you were." Ruby leaned down to Emerald's face and flicked her tongue along her own lips before moving closer and licking from Emerald's chin up across her bloodied lips and cheek, crossing back over the bridge of her nose before pulling back. She finished with a strong peck on the broken portion of Emerald's nose, tasting the blood while flicking her tongue in and out, and the abused girl finally passed out, her eyes rolling back in her head. Ruby blinked in shock before quickly standing up and stepping back, her hands suddenly shaking as she looked down at them.

"W-w-what have I-" Two strong arms turned Ruby around and pressed the shivering girl into their grasp; the last thing Ruby remembered before blacking out was Ren's shout of pain, Nora's scream and Cinder whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

* * *

For once, Cinder leaned back in Ruby's lap as the two rode prone in the back of Ren's stripped station-wagon; Nora was uncharacteristically quiet sitting shotgun as Ren calmly drove with one arm. The other pressed sharply into his own side and Nora occasionally glanced at the position. Ruby was the first to speak up a few minutes into their journey.

"I thought you said people didn't mess with you anymore?" Ruby idly ran her fingers through Cinder's hair; the motions almost overtook the pain Cinder felt throbbing through her right ankle and a few of her ribs. Deciding to relish the moment, Cinder closed her eyes and waited a bit before responding. Ruby's ministrations briefly stopped as the crew slowly rolled over a speed bump and Cinder hissed, both at the loss and the lance of pain.

"Sorry." Ren's words were apologetic, but his voice remained strained; driving even seemed like a Herculean task for him, in Cinder's expert opinion, but he insisted on driving his own car. Ruby's movements resumed.

 _Not my problem as long as we live, I guess._

"Well, little red, they don't mess with _us_ anymore, no." Cinder felt a little portion of her chest swell with pride at how she had managed to sound vaguely smooth while wincing from the jolting car.

"But, well, let's just say I have inside information that says Mercury was going to get a really good deal on that dust we burned. He was going to use it to segway into a leveraging position and drive one of the other three crews to their knees, take over their operation and, well, run shit. I wasn't gonna let one of those be us, so I _may_ have instigated that little scuffle… a little bit." Cinder coughed and Ruby's right hand slid underneath her shirt; it slid gently back and forth across Cinder's abs as the brunette leaned back into Ruby's chest. Ruby's voice reverberated through Cinder's skull as Nora looked back at Cinder, then at Ren's side, then back out the front windshield.

 _That girl brooding worries me… quite a bit more than it should._

"And now we have cover to say that our own dust supply got hit and we can pin it on Mercury and Emerald… you always amaze me, Cinder." Ruby ran her other hand down Cinder's jet-black mane and purred softly, gently sending the vibrations through Cinder's body. Cinder felt her eyes slowly shut as the noise of the engine died to a hum and her entire world became darkness… and the faint thump of Ruby's heartbeat.

* * *

 _Send me your location, let's_

 _Focus on communicating_

 _'Cause I just need the time and place to come through_

 _(place to come through)_

 _Send me your location_

 _Let's ride the vibrations_

 _I don't need nothing else but you_

 _Ride, ride, ride, come and vibe with me tonight_

 _I don't need nothin' else but you_

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Dark Ruby and Cinder are... surprisingly satisfying to write. Mmmmhmmmm, let me know what you think. borderline m-rated stuff here, *shrugs* (dust save me)**

 **thanks for reading, r/f/f**

 **-ken**


	6. VI: Blowback from My Ordinary Life

Chapter VI:

 **A/N:**

 **try putting an altoid or two in your mouth, cracking it (or them) open viciously and then taking the deepest breath you can through your nose while thinking of the thing you hate most in the world**

 **its liberating**

* * *

 _Your mind would disagree, I could tell_

 _When you smile does it let you wish me well?_

 _Bore a cyclone every time you exhale_

 _I cut off the ground and now I'm unbounded_

 _But miss you around it_

 _That's why you should come and_

 _Sit me all up by the mountains_

 _You used to kiss me like your lips_

 _Have caught fire, but no ties_

 _That smoke gets in my eyes_

 _Blowback, call it blowback_

 _Call it blowback_

* * *

"Cinder." The voice over the line was garbled and robotic. The addressed woman stayed quiet.

"I'm gonna need you to come in more often these next few months. Lot of plans for expansion and, well, enrichment of profits, so to speak. Bring the mask and Glock and we'll get to business… and come alone. Our trust has yet to be earned, let alone anyone else's. I look forward to your utmost and complete cooperation." The line clicked dead and Cinder shivered slightly as she paced back and forth, her arm having fallen to her side.

* * *

"REN!" The dark-haired, distressed young adult shot up from his bed, wincing as he inhaled, contracting the bandages over his abs. He could still hear Nora's scream echo every time he slightly dozed off; currently, all he heard were voices faintly chattering along with clanking dishes. Ren slid his feet off of the couch Cinder had told him to lay on, stepping his feet into his slides and struggling to his feet. As he walked down the hallway, the voices grew in volume and Ren rounded the corner to find Ruby lounging in the loveseat in the living room. Cinder laid out on the couch across from Ruby and Nora stood by the sink washing dishes. The pink-haired girl expressed shock and trailed off from her sentence as Ren trudged into the room before looking back at Cinder then the dishes again.

"You feelin' okay?" Nora spoke up quietly, sneaking a peek over at the solemn young adult. Ren gave a nod and sat at the dining table, pulling out his scroll and tapping a few things into a document. Cinder spoke up with her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry it had to turn out that way, Ren. Does anything feel broken?" Ren shook his head before realizing Cinder wasn't looking in his direction.

"No. And that's fine, shit happens." A brief moment of silence suggested otherwise to Cinder, but Ren spoke up again.

"You don't think we should revise the plan a little bit? Pin everything on Merc, let the other two crews threaten him and stay paranoid for a while longer?" Cinder slid up to a seated position and tapped the spot next to her; Ruby plodded over in a puppy-like fashion.

"Probably a good idea. Maybe we can go out for a little fun at the club? Those new fakes came in the other day from Fox, right?" Cinder spoke as Nora switched the water off, setting a plate on the drying rack.

"Yeah, they're in my trunk. Sounds like fun." Nora's tone had perked up slightly since the car ride, but only just the little bit. Cinder began reaching her hands up to Ruby's hair out of habit before stopping, the slightest twinge of guilt rising in the back of her mind. Cinder instead moved down to Ruby's shoulders and gave them a soft squeeze before popping up off the couch. Sliding off her long-sleeve shirt, Cinder folded the cloth into a pillow and patted the surface.

"Lay down for a bit, dear. Gonna make some mockups and I'll be back." Ruby gave a slight pout before nodding and making a show of colllapsing onto the cushions, giving up a poof of air. Cinder rolled her eyes as she made her way to the table, clad in her bright red sports bra and sweatpants. Ren was still typing away one handed on his scroll and Nora had moved to the loveseat, a book in hand, eyes intently roaming its pages. Cinder gave that sight a large frown before sliding into her seat. Ren peeked up to see Cinder's raised eyebrow and slight point behind her; a small smile graced his lips and Ren went back to typing.

 _Since when did that girl read for fun? What the hell is Ren made of… coercion serum? That girl doesn't let anyone tell her what to do… besides me, of course._

Cinder gave a small hum and slid her laptop out from a bag on the table. The clacking set in as a compliment to the small vibrations against the table from Ren's scroll, punctuated by the smallest of rustles from Nora turning the page in her book. Ruby's gentle wheeze of a snore soon filled in the background and Cinder let out a tiny sigh of contentment; Ren nodded in agreement, his fingers now sliding up and down the scroll as he moved through a web forum. The trio sat in this rhythm as Cinder's mind wandered off, her fingers slowing at the keys.

 _Will I have to stop seeing Ruby? They're ruthless… and anyone at school can get paid to keep an eye on me. Nora would probably kill me, too, if she knew what I was going to do… and then after Ruby confides in her with how broken-hearted she'll feel… jeez. Talk about a rock and a hard place. They won't like if I back out, either… we could always just… take a break? Or something?_

Cinder's hands stopped moving altogether and moved up to her falling face, covering her cheeks as her fingers dragged along her eyebrows. Ren's scroll lowered to the table.

"Something I should know about?" Cinder shook her head from within her hands.

"Probably not… yet." Ren gave a shrug and leaned back in the chair, wincing as his mid-section stretched upwards. His hand reached for a drink that wasn't there; startled, Ren stood up and made his way to the fridge.

"You know best, fearless leader." The usual jest had lost its meaning; Cinder felt her guilt and Ren's hidden, slight sarcasm start to pick up speed in her direction. Two hisses of popped bottle caps echoed in the background. The guilt hit high, catching in her throat as the words went low, from behind; the two flipped her around and Cinder felt her heart begin to strain from the inevitable pressure that would split it, and this group, apart. Her shoulders fell as Ren walked up to her right, the necks of two glass bottles wrapped in his fingers. Cinder felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder as an open spiked lemonade appeared by her laptop.

"Thanks, Ren." The hand disappeared and Ren moved back around to his side of the table, his glass raised in cheers. Cinder peeked through her fingers before giving him a slight nod and reaching to grab her own bottle, raising it to Ren's in a clink.

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Ruby sat in the shallow end of Cinder's pool, a brightly colored drink in hand. Ruby twirled the miniature umbrella inside absentmindedly as a gust of wind cooled her stomach, uncovered by her black bikini top. Ren was over under the awning, draped in a bright pink apron and clad in dark brown shorts, mixing drinks and setting them on the table. Ruby had seen him smile more today than the rest of their time spent acquainted combined. Nora had told them earlier that Ren had gotten both a scholarship and a paid internship to a tech school and large company, respectively, and he would be in a local office for training until the beginning of summer. Nora would be flying with him to work, split the rent 70/30 and pursue community college before enrolling where she wanted in the city. She had been bummed it wasn't as lively of a city as Vale was, but their money would stretch further and once Ren had showed her the mockups of the large apartment they were going to live in for dirt-cheap, her tune had changed drastically. Ruby had listened patiently as Nora launched into an animated description of the apartment complex's amenities and services.

The night they had gone to the club, Cinder had disappeared for a couple of hours as Ruby alternated between the dance floor and sipping drinks at the bar. Ruby had started the night in the VIP booth Cinder had rented out, but waiting for her girlfriend, _again_ , while also seeming like an awkward third wheel had proven to provide awkward feelings for the returned-to-redhead girl.

In an attempt to include Ruby the last time Cinder had ghosted them, Nora's drunk antics had gotten a large amount of gum tangled near the ends and Ren had declared it unsalvageable. Ruby chose to leave and visit an upscale hair salon to have them cut the hair into a cute bob instead of the jagged mess Ren had left it in. Of course, Cinder had expressed her disappointment, briefly, before trying cute words and things to placate the younger girl. Unfortunately, she'd gotten a phone call she was 'so sorry she had to take' and that she'd 'make it up' to Ruby, ' _promise.'_

Ruby supposed that was why she had snapped at Cinder that night. Ruby heard the excuses of "work" over the past few weeks and knew Cinder had gotten drawn up into a deeper level of illicit goings-ons, but Ruby missed the frequent couch, smoke and bad movie nights. The club excursion had begun with hopes for fun times drinking and cuddling and dancing and laughing, and had ended with Ruby slapping Cinder's hand off her shoulder, yelling "not interested" like she had at the last three guys who had approached her. A quick turn had showed her that it was indeed Cinder and not another creep, but the shock had quickly shifted back into annoyance. Even Cinder's pampering and gentle caresses that night and into the early morning hadn't done too much to alleviate her anger.

She had fallen asleep in Cinder's arms, wondering how many more times she would have the privilege to do so.

* * *

"Cinder." The voice over the line was garbled and robotic. The addressed woman stayed quiet; the routine was well known by now.

"I had mentioned to come alone last time, no?" Cinder gulped but remained quiet.

"I don't like it, but my _employer_ seems to believe you deserve a second, and final, I might add, chance. I'll send you a mark; subtle work, no suspicion. You've met, she'll tie you to us. I expect an excellent, flawless job here. We, and by we I mean my employer, have faith in you. Don't fuck it up." The line clicked dead but Cinder didn't move. The last call she had received had left her with a feeling of dread and felt oppressive upon her shoulders, the metaphor of Atlas coming to mind. This call had truly terrified her; she was afraid of failure, afraid of success, and very, _very_ afraid of completely and utterly losing Ruby once and for all.

* * *

 _Lay still, restless_

 _Losing sleep while I lose my mind_

 _All thrill, no stress_

 _All my muses left behind_

 _World is, below_

 _So high up, I'm near divine_

 _Lean in, let go_

 _I feel fear for the very last time_

* * *

 **A/N: been a while. thanks for reading. WR super soon I promise.**


End file.
